A fallen old friend.

I picked up a piece of wood from a fallen tree on sisters island(above- its been edited). Our campsite was always located in the shade of this big casuarina which stood head and shoulders above the others in the grove. Anyway in May as we turned the final bend on our approach to camp i was really taken back to see my old friend with only part of its trunk left standing, struck down by a sumatran squall on the eve of my birthday no less( so i was advised by the island cleaners). Anyone who has gone to sisters island with me will know the tree i am talking about.
Things change. everytime you blink and open ur eyes things have changed its in the nature of this world of ours that always from the old must spriing the new and i'd like to think thats what has happened here. If i could thank the old bugger i would say thanks for , thanks for stopping a large portion of rain from drowning us and thanks for keeping us safe in your sheltered embrace.

Radom Photographs.

RANDOM PICTURES
Side shot of my helmet.

Pepper, her medical bill was $230.00. She is fine now but for that price i expected a bionic leg or something

1 very dirt XT shifter due to 1 very muddy fall.

1 tired dude making the mistake of having a smoke and enjoying the view.
1 not so tired dude also making the mistake of having a smoke and enjoying the view.

Sisters Island

Steaks and Marks now famous Lap Cheong(smoked sausage) with shrooms and baby spuds. try it at home. (look for our sisters island recipe book coming out soon, :)

Sisters Island. Its my haven from the stress of reality(mainly work). From the moment i get off the boat at the jetty I feel the stress just lift off and i can relax. From that first step the mainland becomes just a vision of beauty to be admired when chanced upon during my wandering. This year we went twice, once each in May and June and both times were wonderful.( If you click on Russels link you will see more pictures from both trips.) This time though due to many many factors we really didnt know if we were going to go till probably the afternoon before and even then we spent only 30 short but happy hours away . These days our goal is to do as little as possible, mind you where as food used to be an after thought these days its the primary function for most of the gang. Steaks, pork chops, crab, tom yum noodles these were just a few of the many culinary delights prepared by our chefs. With Mark playing the role of Gordon Ramsay, the rest of us were reduced to mere kitchen helpers, although i will say sherwin and i did pretty good with the fire on day 1.

As always a great trip and a fine send off for Mark( he left for a 4 month trip to east timor to do social work, we can all be very proud of him). Joining us for the first time were, my father in law, Ben and the one that excited me the most, my nephew Philip (though it seems all the gang refer to him as baba). When we woke up on saturday with the sun twinkling through the leaves, my nephew turned to me and said "Uncle Edward, I want to come back here again" to me finer words have not been spoken on the island.
(Shout out to the moo who braved traffic and Caitlin in the car to pick us up many thanks! sorry about the smell :{)




Its 10 years since we first went to Sisters Island. 20yrs since i first started taking my altar boys camping on Pulau Ubin and 25 years since my brother took me camping at east coast for the night. I cant wait till i can take Caitlin. I dont know how many nights i have spent camping, i dont know how many people i have brought along and i dont know when we are going next but bloody ell it gets better everytime.

The above picture is of Gerald, who does not like his picture taken. He is off to Cambodia for a couple of weeks of adventure and photography! Be safe ju or if you prefer Raj and dont forget to come back!

June 2005 - June 2009 4 years of blogging

How quick it has been, 4 years of blogging. Life, death adventure and boredom all reflected in 48months of random input. Lately i haven't been doing as much blogging as i used to, its not cause there is nothing to post, I've just been lazy. Since Vietnam i really haven't gone shooting, and my trigger finger is itching. Its been quick, 4 years gone by in a flash. The blog restarts today.

Rodents.

So we got two hamsters, blame it on Leni. :) Above is fatty Ratu and below is speed demon Angie. They are femals, names are girl names but i just cant stop refering to them as boys.

Somedays you just want to fast forward your life.

Sunday 19:45hrs and its just hit me, its Monday tomorrow. I don't normally suffer from Monday blues or as we used to call them in the army book in blues but today it has suddenly come home to me. After the hectic work of last week and the long meeting yesterday, that feeling I had of for want of a better word, euphoria has dissipated into the Sunday night sky and I am left with the very energy sapping knowledge that I got to do it all over again this week.

As a person who is 1/3 and optimist I know this feeling will pass, the part of me that is 1/3 pessimistic tells me that surely there is no way out of this dark state. The last bit of me the 1/3 realist? well that bit says it doesn't matter if I am optimistic or pessimistic all that matters is that i get the job done. Such a bleak outlook eh for a Sunday night? after a really good day as well maybe its the weather, maybe its the sad family history that has past this week that forces me to look in these dark and depressing corners of my mind. Whatever it is lets hope it fades away with rising of the sun.

Life goes on
though never the same
sunshiny days
and some heavy with rain.
In the east the sun still rises
in the west it still sets.
Pain is still pain.
Regrets still regrets.
Life goes on
though never the same.


i havent forgotten. I carry the pain with me on a daily basis.

Reworking.

random

just some random stuff

planets

Subtle difference in the shade of the birds...i couldnt chooose

:)

trees and flight.

The above is for a newly minted pilot.

As you can see trees are my current theme. i like the second one with its crushed look.

return of the...

Copper Tree

Flare

Batik Splat.
Now i havent done any wallpapers in a long long time. So if you dont like them...too bad lol/

Caitlin

My daughter turned 3 on the 23rd of May and we had a week of festivities for her, with little trips, gifts galore, lots of swimming with family and friends all of which culminated in a party for her. This year we booked a chalet at the Safra Golf Club, and Caitlin being a big girl was allowed to sleep over, much to her enjoyment. I would like to thank family and friends who came together to give her a really great time as well as really great gifts. From the great pics taken by Sherwin you will notice that she spent of alot of time in the water! I would like to quote Caitlins birthday speech "Thank you everbody for coming to my party".

Freedom of the moment.

I was wondering why I like cycling or rather trail cycling. I think its that element of freedom and i don't mean the hands extended wind in your hair type freedom ,i am talking about the freedom that comes when you are so focused on something that everything else fades away and for that moment there is just you and the trail. Its very much like photography, your so focused on your subject that all else fades away at least for awhile. I am not saying i have the weight of the world on my shoulders but the satisfaction from coming away from the trail successfully and being so focused simply because it is dangerous is very gratifying. Its a form of escapism i guess like people who drink to drown out their humdrum or dramatic lives. People who hide in movies or people who live withing the covers of books.
Look for the "freedom moments"in your life i am sure they are there.

i am a simple man with simple wants.
the desire to be happy and for the people around me to be happy
that is my goal, i work to that goal every day.
nothing has changed.i keep climbming that mountain and if need be
i will carry you with me. and i have. it matters not to me if you can return
the favour. it never has, my goal is not yours. the journey has always
meant more to me than the destination, but more importantly
is that we are on the road together. i dont care for money.
i dont care for things that come with money. i care for my wife, my child, my mother,
my brother, my sisters, all my nieces and nephews,my family, my pepper and my friends.
My frienship is for life, all i ask is that you dont treat it cheaply.
when you reach that river that you need help crossing i will be there.
if there is one thing that comes from all this, thats that i never pretended to be more then i am.
life is about choice. the lives we live are dictated by the choices we make. sometimes
the choices are made for us. and sometimes the direction is not good but with good people in my life i am made stronger. I offer a prayer for those that wish me well, for those that need it and for those that surround me with friendship on this very difficult day.

a 7 nation army couldnt hold me back.

What a day! I took leave today with every intent of spending the morning with Caitlin who has not been well lately, fever spiking up to 39.5 last night (finally broke this morning big PHEW!) Unfortunately things did not go as planned with my sis getting into a car accident! i spent the day thanking GOD that she and Michael were alright! anyway with half a day spent helping to sort that out, the morning was gone! Caitlin and i spent a couple of hours playing with TLOML and then i was off to ride the trail with Sherwin. It was raining and i was thinking twice about going riding but TLOML said ""just go man and stop being a wuss! so off we went. Great ride today weather was awesome low humidity, clear crisp air, mud all over! AWESOME. After our ride we swung by the bike shop to meet law with every intent of going back to the trail after dark. ALAS Tloml called, Caitlin couldnt stop coughing so off i rode to meet them at the doctors(while my two intrepid friends went back to the trail) another Shout Out to the big man in the sky and Caitlin was much better after going to the doctors! Anyway friends being friends the guys rode back to my place with dinner and a couple of hours of chit chat, washing bikes and a good cuban cigar. what a day full of highs and some very dramatic lows. Just thank god everyone is home safe and sound. Forgive the weird writting i havent blogged in a while.

You ride with me, you better have a helmet. MY kaki coloured dirt lid.This is the exit of the jungle, the arrow point to the darkness is where i usually start smiling.
A very happy man.
100plus..nectar of the cycling gods
Above-Sherwins Ride a Jamis X trail which i would have bought if i saw it first lolWhat Mountain bike should look like. mud covered.(check out my "cool"water bottle)

Chillin at the bike shop

Blue room Hq, check out miss K'po smiling for the camera.

sigh

Its been a busy time, my mum had a birthday and it was a really nice party. It was nice having my brother and his family in town as well. I had a birthday.it came and it went, it means nothing to me anymore its just a day same as any other. Everyone makes an effort and thats real nice but its still painful to think about my father which i cant help but do. This year the 26th was especially hard having to work and it was a tough day as well but such is life eh it just goes on. We went to sisters island for a couple of days over the last weekend and it was great and all but still the faces not there seemed to be on my mind more then anything else. Its been 10yrs since we started going to sisters island and 20 yrs since i started going camping and even there things have changed.
sometimes swimming against the current to keep everyone happy is rather hard and all you want is to get picked up and put in a boat. thats all i got today.

Ola

So much to post, so little time. for now a picture of black betty at the tampines mtb trail.